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A disabled man in Farnley said he’s spent the last eight months calling for a fix to a sloping path that he fears could send him tumbling from his wheelchair.

Retired bus driver Leslie Fowkes never crosses the dip in the pavement alone, as he worries he could be injured.

It sits just metres from a series of steps near his house in Bawn Approach.

The 68-year-old, who suffers from a lung condition that means he cannot walk far, said he was told by Leeds City Council that there were no plans to fix the path.

Retired bus driver Leslie Fowkes, 68, says he has been complaining about a dip in Bawn Approach for months amid fears he could fall from his wheelchair. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe

But this week, it looked like an answer to the problem was on the horizon as the local authority said it was looking into maintenance options.

Mr Fowkes explained: "I can go halfway up the hill, but when I hit that part of the path, it slopes down and my wheelchair goes out of control.

"Once I hit the slope with my drive wheel, it goes and I can't stop it. I wouldn't be able to get out in time, so I'd fall down the steps."

He called on the help of his ward councillor, who raised the issue with council chiefs.

Mr Fowkes fears that his wheelchair could be toppled on Bawn Approach in a slope that stands near to a series of steps. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

And while the outlook was initially positive, Mr Fowkes said he was recently told that there were no longer any plans to make repairs.

However, in a statement this week, a council spokesperson said: "We are aware of the issues raised and have carried out a safety inspection, and are investigating options which include some localised maintenance works to the footway and possibly more significant work to the retaining walls and steps."

Reacting to the update, Mr Fowkes said: "That gives me a bit of hope."

Bawn Approach Farnley: Leeds man fears he could be flung from wheelchair on sloping path near his home